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shrimp cakes with avocado corn salsa

Submitted by on March 6, 2009 – 10:22 pm8 Comments

dscn4870I’ve always loved healthy food that doesn’t taste that way.  I’ve never been one to diet – just the sound of the word sounds like a lot of work - but it’s food like this that will (hopefully) keep that word out of my immediate vocabulary.  Yes, it’s “fried” in a pan, but using just a spritz of cooking spray limits the amount of oil used while still giving a nice crispy crust.  Alan especially loves this “salsa”, and I have to agree – it’s a great compliment to the shrimp cakes.  And you’ve got to love those fresh ingredients to make your body feel like you’re taking great care of it.

The original title of this recipe (by cooking light) is “spicy” shrimp cakes, but I didn’t find them to be spicy at all.  So I’ve omitted the ”spicy” so no one is put off who might not care for spicy food.  My suggestion is that if you like spicy food, as I do, simply increase the hot sauce in the recipe.  Or you can do what I did and slather it with chipotle Tobasco sauce – oh yeah, baby!!

I doubled this recipe and we scarfed up the leftovers within two days.  I was really wondering if they’d be any good the next day, but they reheated nicely in the microwave (or so says Alan, who happily ran off to work with these for his lunch).  I would imagine they’d reheat really well on a baking stone, too, and perhaps even retain some of their crispy crust if done this way.  My original plan was to freeze a few, but they were so yummy we didn’t make it that far!

shrimp cakes with avocado corn salsa

  • 1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 1 cup finely chopped red bell pepper (I used a combo of red and yellow)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion
  • 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons hot sauce (or more)
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
  • 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs, divided (I wouldn’t use regular breadcrumbs here)
  • 1 cup frozen white corn, thawed (fresh corn would really put this over the top!) 
  • 3/4 cup diced peeled avocado
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 3 tablespoons finely chopped red onions
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped seeded poblano peppers (or more)
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Place shrimp in a food processor; pulse 10 times or until finely chopped. Set aside.  I liked to keep some good chunks in mine.

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Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add bell pepper to pan, saute 3 minutes. Add garlic to pan, saute for one minute. Place bell pepper mixture in a large bowl. Add shrimp, green onions and the next six ingredients (though egg), stirring well. Stir in cilantro and 1/4 cup panko.

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Divide shrimp mixture into equal portions.  I double the recipe and end up with about ten patties, although you could easily make double that and use as appetizers. Dredge both sides of patty in remaining panko.  They like to try to fall apart, so I usually set the patty in the panko, then pat some on the top and sides.  Chill at least one hour.

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Heat pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add cakes to pan; cook 4 minutes.  Spray the top of the cakes with cooking spray, then flip and cook another 4 minutes or until browned (4 minutes a side works perfectly for me).  Remove from pan, cover and keep warm. Repeat procedure with remaining cakes.

How to easily slice avocado for your salsa:  Cut your avocado in half and remove the pit.  Make cuts both ways in avocado, taking care not to cut through the skin.  Squeeze avocado into bowl…voila!  Perfect cubes!

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To prepare salsa, combine corn and remaining ingredients.

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Serve immediately with shrimp cakes.

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Enjoy!dscn4872